This is the textbook example of what not to do with SQL queries. You can't even learn SQL or an SQL library API without being warned against this a dozen times.

This is the textbook example of what not to do with SQL queries. You can't even learn SQL or an SQL library API without being warned against this a dozen times. If the CTO pushed this code, and the processes the CTO themself is responsible for designing did not catch this, it is safe to say the CTO is incompetent.